Ontario, CA — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·California·Ontario

San Bernardino County · Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario · population 185,285

Image: Wikipedia · Ontario, California

Overview Cost of living Moving guide

View watchlist →

Rising

Momentum score · 0–100

Where Ontario stands

Steady, no major recent move.

Median home $671,948

1-year -1.5%

5-yr CAGR +5.2%

vs 5-yr peak -2.4%

Population +1.4%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly

Lifestyle scores

🚶

Walkability

52/100

Somewhat walkable

Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.

🚉

Public transit

30/100

Minimal transit

Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.

💻

Remote work fit

70/100

Strong remote-work fit

Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 21.7

Lean rent

At a 21.7 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in Ontario. Owner-occupier ROI requires longer holds and the assumption that prices keep appreciating roughly at the rate of rent.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →

Home YoY

43 · w22%

Home 5-yr CAGR

66 · w22%

Distance from peak

76 · w18%

Population growth

71 · w16%

Rent YoY

53 · w12%

Home 10-yr CAGR

75 · w10%

Long thesis

Ontario has held up across the cycle: home values at $671,948 with +5.2% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Ontario's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Ontario

Ontario is a city in San Bernardino County, California, with an estimated population of 185,285. It anchors the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area. The population grew 1.4% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in Ontario is $671,948 as of 2026-04, down 1.5% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.2% annual growth (-2.4% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Ontario average $2,583 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+1.2%). The composite momentum score is 63 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Healthy 5-year run: +5.2% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.

●Net positive migration: population up 1.4% per year — demand fundamentals are intact.

●Held the highs: currently -2.4% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Ontario (Wikipedia)

Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County, California, United States, 35 miles (56 km) east of downtown Los Angeles and 23 miles (37 km) west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, it lies just east of Los Angeles County and is part of the Los Angeles conurbation. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 175,265.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

Area50.00 sq mi

Elevation1,004 ft

IncorporatedDecember 10, 1891

MottoSouthern California's Next Urban Center

Named forOntario, Canada

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for San Bernardino County right now.

NWS active alerts (CA)California Emergency Management How to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. San Bernardino County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Ontario

6 tracked · ranked by median home value

1Borba Village$800,054-4.5%

2West Haven$797,581-7.2%

3The Avenue$701,593-3.3%

4Edenglen$624,623-0.3%

5Creekside$580,583-2.9%

6Ontario Center$551,498-2.3%

Cities like Ontario

Fontana, CA62 · Rising Corona, CA62 · Rising Moreno Valley, CA61 · Stable Riverside, CA60 · Stable

Run the numbers for Ontario

ToolCan I afford Ontario?Income → city shortlist ToolROI on a Ontario rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCR ToolCompare Ontario to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 cities ToolOntario cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)

60° / 41°

avg high / low

Summer (Jul)

82° / 60°

avg high / low

Sunny days/yr

258

~71% of year

Annual precip

22″ rain

8″ snow

Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)

Hurricane

Very low

Tornado

Very low

Wildfire

Very high

Earthquake

Very high

Flood

Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

NFLLos Angeles Rams →Los Angeles Chargers →

NBALos Angeles Lakers →Los Angeles Clippers →

MLBLos Angeles Dodgers →Los Angeles Angels →

NHLLos Angeles Kings →Anaheim Ducks →

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Ontario listings on the major real-estate sites.

For rent

Zillow rentals → Apartments.com → Trulia rentals →

For sale

Zillow for sale → Realtor.com →

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Latest news

JLL secures $103.5M financing for Hyatt Regency Ontario redevelopment
Hotel Management · 15h ago
Community Update: Kimberly-Clark Warehouse
City of Ontario, California (.gov) · 2w ago
2522 Caribou Pl, Ontario, CA 91761
Realtor.com · 18h ago
News | MGR Real Estate buys Inland Empire office campus
CoStar · 2d ago
1251 East Belmont Street, Ontario, CA, 91761
CBRE · 2d ago
JLL Arranges Financing for Repositioning of Hyatt Regency Ontario
LODGING Magazine · 2d ago

Local chatter (Reddit)

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity

65%

Moderate climate

Median household income

$91,500

California state median

Top industries (state-level)

TechEntertainmentAgriculture

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.